Replacements
by MetaGiga
Summary: Ganondorf was defeated... But the hint word is "was". He has returned even stronger than before. With the heroes of Hyrule gone along with the other villains, who else will save the land? The goddess's answer are their counterparts in another dimension.
1. Returning

Din stood, gazing down at the world beneath her. The world of Hyrule had been restored by the warriors, that was blatantly obvious. However... No, it couldn't be.

"You have sensed it too?"

Looking behind her, Din could see her sister Nayru. Her azure eyes gazed into Din's flaming irises with concern as she approached. "Yes. For some reason, it seems like it was simply too easy... Sister, what could this mean?" Din asked. Nayru stood by her, looking down at the vast world as well, "That the gerudo is not dead. Not sealed away. He is only playing possum until the time is right..."

That set Din's arms aflame with rage. The dirty little... "I know what you must be thinking," Nayru said in a completely monotonous voice, "That we should finish him ourselves. That he is a mere mortal. That we are fully capable of handling this... But this is not the case."

Din slowly extinguished her flames, giving her wise sister a puzzling look. What..?

"The gerudo still has your triforce-"

"Don't remind me."

"-and it would put us in danger, Din."

Danger? A mere mortal being a threat to a goddess? "Why would anyone be a threat to us, Nayru?" Din asked rather snidely. That's when Nayru's tone got firm, "Because he is to the point of rivaling even a god, sister."

That got Din to get serious. Nayru never lies. And if what she said was true... "Well, what should we do then? We can't go if you say he can kill us... Hey! What about the warriors?" Din suggested. Those powerful individuals might be able to-

"They are gone."

"... Gone?"

"All of them have somehow disappeared from Hyrule. Even the gerudo's allies. I suspect it is his doing."

Now Din was even more confused. Who in their right mind gets rid of their allies if they were the ones that did so?! Even ones of Power would find that foolhardy. Unless... "Has he become that strong already?" Din asked, trying to keep her voice from cracking. "Yes, Din. It pains me to even think of it... However, I have devised an alternative," Nayru explained, "After searching, I have found a way to bring back the warriors. To bring them back... And fight as one."

"But, Nayru! These are both evil and good! How in the world will they cooperate?"

"Trust me, Din. I will be back. And... Don't tell Faore. She is the courage of all people and if she is worried, then the world will be fearful."

Din watched as her sister vanished in a blue light, uneasy of what she had just heard. Unbelievable... The monster of the desert has returned...

Right when the flowers were beginning to recover from the war, too.

* * *

Daniel Trudeau: A junior in high school and a proclaimed genius from forty eight states. Some might say he has everything. Others say he's a fraud.

Both are not true.

"DANIEL!" his father would usually call, "GET DOWN HERE AND DO YOUR LESSONS!"

The "lessons" included piano, annunciation, cooking, foreign languages, diplomatic skills, and various advanced courses for his homeschooled career. In short, he was destined to be president in his father's views. This view was what made Daniel's mother leave them... Now he was alone with nothing but his father and his mantis shrimp. In all, he had no friends other than that fish (who was a good listener to be honest).

The only lesson Daniel liked was his "independent study" lesson in his room. It gave him time to do what he wanted to. Think about the world, talk to his mantis shrimp, pretend as if it could talk back... Just like what he had heard of with friends outside of his home.

His father says pretending is immature for him however. "Someone as gifted and extraordinary as you, my son, shouldn't play pretend. If you wish to be what it is that you are preparing to be, then stop this nonsense and act as the prodigy that you are!"

"There's a flaw in that statement, though. You probably know, right?" Daniel said to his shrimp. It stared blankly at him, which he filled in as, '_But of course. Many prodigies weren't perfect, Daniel._'

Daniel grinned, "Yes, like Albert Einstein and Mozart. If my father thinks I should be a Beethoven, then he'll have to pretend that I will be."

He imagined the mantis shrimp laughing with him. '_So, Daniel,_' he made his shrimp say, '_You're almost eighteen. Soon you'll get to move out with me, right?_'

Daniel nodded.

'_Are you sure your father won't keep you even afterwards? I'd hate to see that..._'

Daniel didn't reply for a a good five minutes. "It's getting late. See you in the morning," he finally said, walking to his bed. As if on cue, his mantis shrimp skittered into the underwater cave in its tank. Once he got situated, he swore he heard something... Not his mantis shrimp, but something else not created by his imagination. "Hello? Is... Anyone there?" Daniel called into the darkness of his room.

"... Yes."

Suddenly a bright blue light illuminated his room, revealing a figure in the middle. Once the light died down, the thing was giving off its own blue light. Daniel rubbed his eyes to wipe away the light from his eyes (and to see if this were real), then looked back. He couldn't see the blue light anymore... Only a woman glowing a beautiful azure. She smiled at him, understanding his situation, "Hello, Daniel. I am Nayru. Goddess of Wisdom. As I thought, you look slightly like him..."

"Wha-!"

"What am I talking about? Daniel, you are the counterpart of a warrior in a land far away. Farther then you will ever know," Nayru said. Daniel couldn't speak...

He felt faint...

"... I guess the direct approach isn't a very good idea. Might as well take him while he's still unconscious."


	2. Inner Vigor

**AN: Whoops! I forgot to disclaim the copyright. Alright, I don't own the Legend of Zelda franchise. That belongs to Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo. I only own the characters excluding the goddesses and Ganon.**

* * *

"I'm back."

Din looked to her side to see Nayru carrying a boy in her crystal barrier. This made Din very suspicious. "Who in the world is _that,_ Nayru?" Din demanded, "He isn't the warrior you said you were going to bring!"

Nayru gave her sister a slight smile before gently setting him down. "Do you notice anything... Familiar about his appearance?" Nayru asked, gesturing to the boy that was now lying on his back against the brick road of the celestial domain. Din rolled her eyes, then took a look. The boy was pale, as if he had barely been outside. His hair was a sandy blonde... And his eyes were a deep blue color...

Wait a second.

"Wh-Where am I?!"

The kid shot up from the ground, eyes darting around his surroundings. He then looked back to Din, a look of horror on his face as the goddess was just as surprised. He tried to back away, only to land on his behind. Din turned to Nayru with a puzzled expression. "Sister," she began, "Are you _sure _this is..."

"Yes. He is the hero's other. He is Link's other."

There was a deep silence So, this kid was the Hero of Time's counterpart. A complete nerd was going to save Hyrule... Din broke into hysteric laughter, "Are you _SERIOUSLY _thinking this kid's Link's counterpart?! We should just surrender now!"

"Enough!"

That did not come from Nayru nor did it come from her other sister. It came from the boy. Din looked to him only to see him with a serious look on his face. His eyes were burning into Din's as he spoke, "Laughing about how I'm _not _strong is foolish! I have you know, my strength comes from my mind! I don't know why I'm here, but the blue woman took me here... So you need me, _right?_"

Din was speechless. The boy's expression grew even more intense, "If I'm here, there's a reason! And that reason will be explained to me! How _can _I be of use if you laugh and give up the second you see me?!"

Nayru looked to Din, who was stunned. "Now do you see?" Nayru asked, "Never underestimate a warrior's spirit, sister. You, of all people should know that."

She was right. She _should _have known that... For she was the goddess of Power. Watcher over warriors and seeing if their vigor is enough to live. Even the smallest can survive with enough morale. "... I'm sorry... Ah..?"

"Daniel. Daniel Trudeau."

* * *

"See you tomorrow, Tori!"

"G'bye!"

Being a freshman in collage was probably the greatest thing that's ever happened to a teenage girl. Freedom, moving forward... Exactly what this girl, Tori, wanted. Her full name was Victoria Vice, however she preferred the name Tori. She was independent and strong willed, though it could make her quite stubborn at times. Nevertheless, she loved her friends and never would abandon them for the world. Happily bounding along to her dormitory building, she breathed in the fresh air... The collage campus was beautiful. Trees, flowers, benches... Maybe she should sit down to take it all in.

Of course, that's what she did. Setting her backpack next to her on the bench, she closed her eyes and let the light wind of Spring touch her face.

"Excuse me."

Tori looked to find a woman with a puzzled look on her face, as if she were lost. "Are you a student?" the woman asked. Tori nodded. It felt good to say that you're actually part of a collage! The woman looked relieved, "Oh that's good... Tell me, are you by chance Victoria?"

... What? "Yeah, that's my name... Why d'you wanna know?"

The woman's expression changed dramatically. "Well, you're coming with me then," she said grinning. She now was glowing a slight reddish color and her eyes were turning into flames. Before Tori could say anything or scream, the woman, Din, took her hand. Violently pulling her up, she yanked the teenager close and vanished in a spark of embers. Fortunately, nobody saw anything except for a few squirrels.

* * *

Din appeared, holding Tori. "How's this, Nayru?" she asked, letting go of the girl. Nayru simply sighed, "Din, you just went headfirst and took the counterpart of a warrior in plain sight. Who knows what the humans will think if they see that?"

Din gave her sister a sheepish smile as Tori remained petrified. "So, who's this girl? Lana? Ruto? Zelda?" Din asked. Nayru simply gave Din a sly smirk. "As punishment, I shall let _you _figure that out," she replied. Din 'hmphed' then inspected Tori's face... Brown hair... Hazel eyes that seemed almost yellow... Pale skin even paler than Daniel's... Oh hell no. "You've gotta be kidding, Nayru..." Din groaned, shaking her head at the memories of her destined warrior, "This is going to scar this girl for life..."

Nayru gave her sister a smile, "Who is she then?"

"Zant."

"Correct."

Din rubbed her temples out of pure annoyance. This girl was the counterpart of an insane twili that had no reason left... She doesn't look like it, though... "Yes, I know. She isn't a raving psychopath," Nayru said, seemingly reading Din's mind, "Not all of the counterparts are the same... This goes for personality as well."

Tori was just lost. She couldn't ask where the hell she was because the whole experience took her voice from her. That, and she believed that if she _did _ask, she would only be even more confused. "Wh... Who are you?"

Jolting around, Tori could see a boy about as freaked out as her. She finally managed to find her voice, "Tori... And you are?"

"Daniel. Do... Do you live here?"

"No. I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Me neither... Um... Er..."

Daniel shuffled to the side, face bright red. He seemed rather shy or scared... Both? Tori gave him a smile, "Well, don't worry Dan! I'm sure this is just a sick joke we're being put up to," she reassured confidently, placing a hand on his shoulder. Daniel went wide eyed at the sudden interaction, then backed away. Tori cocked her head to the side in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"You... Just placed your hand on me."

"Indeed I did."

"... _Why_..?"

"Because I'm trying to make friends with you. We both seem like we need one right about now."

Daniel looked to the ground, thinking about what he had just heard. Tori, on the other hand, was pretty confused about the boy. What, is he really that touchy? Or perhaps he's sensitive about it? Whatever it is, she'll know in due time. For now, she'll have to comfort this boy before anything else...


	3. Syncing

The next day was the day that Nayru began teaching the technique called "syncing". Din, however, called it "training". This confused both Daniel and Tori as they were escorted to a large pillar rising atop the celestial plains where the goddesses abducted the two. Once they were both on top with the help of Nayru, she cleared her throat, "This is the Plateau of Mirages. While you are here, you shall sync with your power."

Daniel rose an eyebrow, "Sync with our..."

Nayru nodded, "Yes. Each of you are a counterpart of a very powerful warrior in this land. However, they have disappeared... In all, we need you to take their place to save us all," she explained, then gave a stressed sigh. Tori thought hard about what Nayru just said.

"So, we're your back up," Tori finally concluded.

Nayru flashed her eyes to Tori. "... That is correct."

It was Tori's turn for a stressful sigh. "So," she began, "How exactly are this kid and I gonna "sync"? I mean, you need dudes that aren't us. Daniel's a natural born Einstein that doesn't look like a fighter and I can't even do sports without-,"

"There are no others like you."

Tori decided to shut up. Daniel turned to her, a confused expression on his face. She seems so confident and in decent shape... What was it that handicapped her to do sports? "Anyway, your power has been locked tightly inside of you both. Ever since our warriors have vanished, the key has been given to you..." "... To pick up where we started," Daniel finished. Nayru nodded, then kept on, "You might not be the ones who lived their life, but you are the ones who are their equivalent in your world. You may not have the same personality, but that doesn't change the fact you are them."

Tori was a bit lost. So, they both were another person or...

"Now both of you, concentrate. Look into your heart and put your focus on your power within. Forget your surrounding. Forget yourself even..." Nayru instructed. Both Daniel and Tori closed their eyes and followed Nayru's instructions.

It was an odd feeling. A sort of ticklish sensation as they concentrated. The process took several minutes.

"You may now open your eyes."

Daniel felt... Stronger; both physically and in his spirit. Not to mention he was taller. Looking at himself, his garb was now a green tunic with a rather... Interesting hat. But, one thing made him uneasy. Where was Tori? He couldn't see the girl anywhere...

"Erm... Nayru? Where did Tori go?" Daniel asked. Wow, his voice was so... Heroic now!

"What're you talking about?"

Daniel jumped then turned to the person who said that... Well, let's just say his wonder came to a halt at what he saw.

He was face-to-face with a tall man in a weird getup and an extremely horrifying helmet. The person just stared right back at him. "Who exactly are you?" he asked Daniel, his tone gentle yet quite... Well, disturbingly high pitched. Daniel winced at the voice. In all honesty, he was more curious as to who this guy was... "First, I want to know who you are. You seem to be the most interesting person I have seen here other than the goddesses."

Nayru simply gave Daniel a sly smirk, "I'll leave you two alone."

With a bright blue flash, Nayru was gone. Daniel was used to the teleports already, but he was still uneasy about the man she left him with.

"You tell me your name first," both he and the person demanded in perfect unison. A few seconds later, the man in the bizarre helm gave in. "Fine, you win," he huffed. Crossing his long arms, he looked down to Daniel. "The name's Tori. Full name's Victoria Vice, but call me Tori... God, what's up with my voice?!"

Daniel went wide eyed as the man-no, Tori-began to clear her(?) throat. Daniel was dumbfounded. "Tori?! Is that you?!" he squeaked. If Tori's helm was off, she would have the most puzzled expression possible.

"I just said my name, so-,"

"Tori! It's-It's me! Daniel!"

* * *

It had been an hour and thirty eight minutes since the "sync" and Tori had been pacing back and fourth for an hour and twenty six minutes. The other twelve minutes without her pacing beforehand consisted of her complete freaking out and screaming out many swears, some of which Daniel had never even heard of before. The two of them even tried to reverse the sync... With fruitless results.

"How are you getting used to yourselves?"

Daniel spun toward to the voice as Tori simply turned toward it with a deadly glare. As expected, Nayru had appeared before them, a smile on her face. "I'll tell you," Tori growled, "We AREN'T ourselves, lady! Look at us! We barely resemble who we really are! Hell, I'm a freak! If you need a stupid soldier, find another one! 'Cause this one's too HUMILIATED!"

With no thought, Tori spun away from Nayru and dissipated in neon blue lines and small black rectangles. Daniel was in awe. After much silence Nayru turned to Daniel, patting his shoulder for reassurance (he was still nervous about physical contact). "Do not worry," she said calmly, "She has only teleported. I sense that she is in her given room in the celestial plain. She only needs time to think for a while. Tell me... How many times did you try to end the sync?"

"Three times."

"Oh dear..." Nayru's expression changed to a concerned look. "You see, Daniel," she began, "The first time you sync, two hours are what you are given. The more you sync, one hour is added... You have extended it to five."

Daniel lowered his head. "Tori..."

Nayru met Daniel's eyes, "Do not worry, Daniel. This might be good for her to get used to her form when synced. I knew that Zant would be the most unfortunate counterpart for anyone, but if she can accept it... It will not be a burden."

Daniel gave Nayru a slight smile. Maybe he had the wrong idea about her... She's actually not that bad of a person. Or... Goddess. Nayru turned to the sky, which Daniel curiously followed suite. "It's getting late, Daniel," she stated, "Let us go. You must be hungry. I can tell Tori is as well. She seems like the kind to hide her weaknesses... She's more like Zant than she denies to be..."

With that said, Nayru and Daniel warped out once again. Daniel, however, felt warmer on the inside...

* * *

"I'm not coming out," Tori snapped from behind her room's door. Din grew more irate as Tori refused to at least go to dinner for Nayru to apologize. "Look," Din growled, "If you don't come out in the next ten seconds, I'm teleporting in there."

Silence.

"... Fine. But I'll have you know that I'll leave right after I get my meal."

Din raised an eyebrow as the door unlocked and opened to reveal Tori, still with her helm on. This puzzled the goddess. "Hey, why do you still have that on? It looks like you'd be more comfortable without it. Plus it's kind of disturbing..."

"I'd rather look like this than look whatever the hell I am right now," Tori replied angrily, brushing past Din in a quick stride. Din blinked, then caught up to Tori. "First off, you're something called a Twili right now. Secondly, change that smartass attitude. You're slowly becoming worse than the real thing," Din snapped in Tori's face.

"What the hell do you mean by that?"

Din was silent. What did she just say?! Din, the goddess of Power, had just told the counterpart to Zant that she was becoming worse than he was... Even though said counterpart isn't even close to insanity nor had malicious intent. If Tori knew who he was... That would be a very harsh insult. "Nothing... I'm sorry..." Din said, a pang of guilt washing over her. Tori tilted her head to the side in confusion, then spun back to her destination. After a few minutes of getting lost in the hallways, Tori had finally arrived at the dining hall. In all honesty, it was quite elegant... As expected for a home for goddesses.

"Tori!"

Taken aback by the sudden call of her name, Tori looked to find Daniel bounding towards her. "It's amazing!"

"What's amazing?"

"You can get whatever you want! These tiny flying balls of light called fairies fly over, you tell them what you want, then you get it approximately twenty nine seconds later!"

"... No way."

"Way!"

Tori was then dragged by Daniel to the table and pointed upwards energetically. "See?"

Looking up, Tori saw what he meant. Pink balls of light with wings. "Wow... This is... Wow," Tori whispered, awestruck by the fairies. One of them suddenly darted to her, "Hello! You must be Tori-" "AAAH!" "-I'm Pinni! Would you like something?"

Glancing to Daniel, Tori was given a thumbs up. Nervously turning back, Tori answered, "Um... Cherry cheesecake?"

Pinni gave what appeared to be a nod and zoomed away. If Tori were without her helm, her eyes would be huge with astonishment. Daniel laughed, "I was surprised too, don't worry,"

Tori looked him in the eye. "Who wouldn't be?! Well... I guess I'm fine to say that I believe in fairies now," she retorted with a grin. Daniel faked an overdramatic gasp, "You didn't before?! Why, it's scientific fact that they do, indeed, exist. However they are not what we think they are... For they are not of this world. Their flying ability along with their unnatural power means that they are obviously..."

"ALIENS!"

They both laughed. To think that a friendship could be forged between two different backgrounds... "Here you go!"

Looking up, Pinni was expertly balancing a plate atop herself. Carefully sliding it on the table, it was revealed that a whole cherry cheesecake had been miraculously conjured. "Call me over if you need anything else!" Pinni informed, then zipped away. "... Wow," Tori murmured to herself, "This'd be heaven to take up to my room, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to finish it. Warm cheesecake isn't that good..."

She turned to Daniel, grinning, "So, how 'bout I share with you?"

Daniel returned the grin. It seemed as though Tori was beginning to accept herself... Until Nayru approached the two. This made Tori return to her former grudge against the goddess. "Tori, I..."

"What? Spit it out. I was in a good mood right now," Tori interrupted flatly. Nayru looked down to the marble floor in guilt, then faced Tori again. "I'm sorry. I had no idea that you would be in hysterics. I only wish for forgiveness..." Nayru replied softly. Tori was taken aback by the apology. No scolding? No lectures?

"... Well, I didn't really expect to be a "twili" or whatever. 'Course I'd be pretty freaked, so..." Tori trailed off, then looked directly at the goddess, "But, I forgive you."


	4. Faore

**AN: I usually feel discouraged when my stories aren't recognized... And I usually give up on them later. But y'know? I feel like finishing this regardless. I don't care if I don't have people reading this much. I need to finish a story. Plus I think it's cool to know that someone from Indonesia has read it.**

* * *

Tori sighed contently as she made her way back to her room. To think that the ones that she hated were now her friends. 'I need to tell them, though,' Tori thought, her smile slowly fading, 'I have to tell them about my...'

A gasp was what snapped her out of her thoughts. Daniel? No, he said that he would stay and talk with Nayru a bit more. Din? No, she was out adjusting the Plateau of Mirages to be a proper training ground... Who was this person? Slowly turning around, Tori's eyes met with a young girl's beautiful emerald ones. They both simply stood there, staring directly at each other. The girl suddenly grew wide eyed and ran away.

... What was that all about? Was that a new person or something? Shrugging it off, Tori decided to just keep on her way to her hopefully temporary room.

* * *

"NAYRU! YOU MUST COME QUICK!"

Daniel was in the middle of exchanging knowledge with Nayru when the girl burst in as if she had seen a real life night terror. Nayru jumped as the girl arrived in front of her, panting. "Faore, what is it?" Nayru asked calmly waiting for the girl, Faore, to catch her breath.

"They... They're back... Evil has returned... In fact, the usurper has already invaded our home! There's no doubt that the twisted one has come to defeat us!"

Usurper? Twisted one? Faore quickly spun to Daniel, "Link! Do not be alarmed, but I am Faore, goddess of Courage. No time for formalities now, however. The madman has invaded our home! If he is now this powerful, who knows what he can do now!"

"Faore-"

"Do not worry, sister. I shall bring the hero straight to the twisted one!"

Before Daniel could decline and try to comprehend what the girl was talking about, both he and Faore were engulfed in a bright green light... And vanished. Nayru was left alone, completely silent. After a few seconds, she sighed, "Always going ahead instead of listening... Yet, what is to expect from the youngest bearing the power of courage?"

* * *

Daniel was red as a tomato, firmly in place where he had been teleported to. This place... It was a girl's bedroom. So much privacy was being violated... And, didn't Nayru say that Faore was her sister like Din? Why didn't she know anything? Whatever the girl was thinking was simply making him confused. What was so bad about Tori?

Faore scanned the room, "So, he has led us to a guest room... Oh, the irony!" Faore stated with a laugh.

Daniel would have laughed as well... If he actually knew what the deal was with her as well as why they had to be in a girl's bedroom as well. Once Daniel finally had a chance to speak, it was soon interrupted by a door opening. "... What are you doing in my room?"

Both he and Faore turned to see Tori without her garb, giving them a blank look of confusion. "Your room? Don't make us laugh!" Faore snorted, "Link, let's get rid of this psychopath and throw him out by force!"

"Hey, what the hell are you talking about? All I'm doing is going to bed, so can you just get out?!" Tori demanded to her, starting to get a little agitated as she approached Faore. Faore glared at Tori, then turned to Daniel, "Link, are you ready for this?"

"No."

"Alright, let's do this-wait... What?"

Daniel looked to Faore and shook his head. "I don't want to fight my... Friend..." he said to her. Faore gasped, "Wha... What are you saying?! That man isn't your friend!"

A dream. This had to be a dream. No, not a dream... A complete NIGHTMARE. "I don't know what you've done to Link... But you'll pay for it!" Faore snapped, green aura emitting from her hands. In fluid movements she commanded the aura towards Tori, it turning into green blasts of energy. In a panic, Tori responded in putting her hands in front of her to brace for impact... Only...

Nothing. No pain. Slowly glancing to Faore, Tori now saw what stopped the bolts. A forcefield of red, circuit-like lines. The only thing Tori could say in response were two words:

"Holy shit..."

Faore growled, "Coward! Come and fight!" "Enough, Faore."

Tori and Daniel sighed in relief. It was Nayru. Faore looked to her sister with a gleam in her eyes. "Nayru!" she exclaimed happily, "You've come to help me!"

"Quite the opposite. I'm saving these poor souls," Nayru sighed. Once the forcefield dissipated, Nayru walked to Tori. "... What... Just happened?" she asked the goddess shakily, eyeing Faore. Nayru glanced to Faore, then responded, "You're beginning to learn your abilities, Tori. You ought to thank my younger sister for rushing you into learning."

"She tried to _kill _me!"

"That's true..." Nayru replied, then gave Faore a firm look, "Apologize at once."

Faore scowled. "Why should I apologize to _him _of all people?!" she retorted. Nayru just shook her head. "We shall discuss this dilemma in the morning. Besides, Din is getting another warrior's counterpart. It will be a more appropriate time than now."

With that said, both she and Faore teleported out, leaving Daniel and Tori. "... So Daniel."

"Yeah?"

"Can you get out of my room now?"


	5. Zack and Tess

Tori was in a place she didn't recognize.

It was really bizarre... She also wasn't in control of herself. No control over her movements at all. The only thing she could do was take the abnormal area in as she moved on her own through the corridors of what appeared to be a castle.

After a few minutes, she had arrived on some sort of balcony. Wait-why a balcony? "You're back..."

Fortunately she moved to whoever said that. She revealed herself to be a beautiful woman. "I understand your lust for rule, but you cannot. The decision has made-" "That decision is not suitable for my liking," Tori heard herself say, "Kneel before your new king."

What the hell was she saying?! The woman glared. "Have you lost your mind?! You were denied the throne. I am the ruler now!" she snapped. Tori felt herself give a smug grin. "Very well then," she unwillingly said, "If you wish to act like a little pest, than maybe you should be one."

With a wave of her hand, Tori knocked down the woman. To her horror, the beautiful woman was transformed into a short, stubby implike creature in the blink of an eye. After recovering, the creature went wide eyed, inspecting herself. "My apologies, princess, but your new powers as ruler are officially gone. I now am the most powerful. And as my first act as king... I BANISH YOU FROM THIS CASTLE, YOU FILTHY WHELP!"

Tori then kicked the former princess off the balcony. "Send my regards to my subjects..."

What did she just do?!

* * *

Tori awoke in a cold sweat. A nightmare...

Looking at herself she could see that she was back to normal, thank god, but what in the world was that? It seemed a little familiar... Shaking the dream from her head, Tori glanced to the window next to her to be greeted with the morning sun. She always had hated mornings. Normally she would just fall back asleep for an hour or two, but that nightmare really got her awake. Groaning, Tori flung herself out of bed and stretched a bit. It was awkward returning to being five-foot six when you grew about eight or so inches taller.

But it was her. And that's what Tori was content with. Stumbling out of the guest room, she used her memory to guide her to the dining room. Still... No matter how much she tried, Tori couldn't forget that dream. Maybe Nayru could give her some answers?

Before she knew it, Tori had arrived. It had seemed as though she was late as the goddesses and Daniel were already there... _Including _the girl that tried to kill her. Tori put on a nervous smile. "Looks like I'm fashionably late, hm?" she joked. Din raised an eyebrow, "You seem cheery for someone who almost got killed last night."

Faore then looked away in obvious embarrassment. Nayru, however, was studying Tori intently. "... Well, as I had said last night, Din was out gathering more like you and Daniel. Two to be exact," Nayru said to her. Daniel showed clear excitement, "Are they here? Where are they? Who are they? You told me much about the warriors!"

"Calm down, they both are coming any second now," Nayru laughed. As if on cue, two people walked in. A girl and a teenage boy. Both were quite confused about what was going on. They both looked towards Daniel and Tori... And Tori's eyes widened.

"Zack?!"

"Tori?!"

The teen and Tori ran up to each other, both beaming with enthusiasm. "Tori, you have any idea what's going on?" the boy, Zack, asked. Tori just returned with a nervous grin. "Eheheh... Yeah..." she replied, "I'll just say that I'm freak."

"Aw, don't say that."

"You'll take that back when you see, dude. Really. And apparently I'm a _dude _to top it off."

Zack was officially lost. Nayru just shook her head and pulled him to the side, probably to explain better. The girl walked up to Daniel shyly, "Um... Who are you? Do you live here too?" she whispered as she watched Zack's face slowly get serious.

Daniel smiled and shook his head. "No, I'm from Earth too. Same with Tori over there. Once Nayru's done explaining to that Zack guy on why he's here, you're next... What's your name?"

"Tess Hoddins. And you?" "Daniel. Daniel Trudeau."

That's when Tess gasped. "I know you! aren't you that boy genius?" she asked. Daniel nodded. "Yeah. That's what people call me I guess," he replied with a light laugh. Inside, however, he hated being known as 'that boy genius'. That was all anyone paid attention to when it came to him, including his dad. The only one that didn't was his mother... She treated him like a regular kid for ten years. Then she left... His dad bribed the judge to give him full custody of Daniel (he found that out a month later). Now he was known as that very title and barely his name. Even if he was referred to his name, it was always 'Daniel'. No Dan. No Danny. Daniel. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Daniel jumped and looked to Tess. "Nothing," he lied, "Just a bit tired is all. Anyway, I believe everything is ready for our discussion now that everyone is here."

Nayru nodded to Daniel as Zack slowly walked back to Tori. She gave him a grin. "So, I guess she gave you a pretty good run down on what's goin' on, huh?" she said. Zack shook his head, "I'll believe when I see it. You gotta be playing some sorta joke."

Tori glanced over to Din with a smug smile. Seeing what she was going to do, Din returned the smile and gave a nod of approval. "Alright, Zack," Tori said, "You're a skeptic? Well, how 'bout I show you something..." "Ooh, that sounded pretty dirty."

With a laugh, Din transported both Tori and Zack to the "training grounds" for a presentation. This resulted in a facepalm from Nayru. "To think I would have to babysit rather than teach..." she groaned. Daniel looked to Tess, sheepishly smiling. "Um... Do you want to see for yourself too?" he asked, which resulted in a nod from the girl. This decision made Nayru rub her temples out of pure annoyance and follow suite of Din.

This left Faore to be the only one in the massive room.

"... Why is it always _me _who gets left behind? Stupid youngest sister syndrome..." she merely grumbled. Faore then flashed off to the Plateau herself.

* * *

Zack was freaking out.

Mainly because of the fact that he was on a pillar that reminded him of the third colossus' arena in his favorite PS2 game ever (AN: Props to whoever gets the game). "Welcome to the Plateau of Mirages!" Din announced, patting Zack on the shoulder. He simply returned with a nervous smile, "R-right..."

Tori approached him, then gave him a smile. "You ready to see why we're here?" she asked? Zack just returned a slow nod. With that, Tori closed her eyes. With a moment of meditation, she opened her eyes once more to find herself wearing the helm again... And taller than Zack, which was a nice thing to cross off the bucket list. Zack screamed, falling backwards. "Wh-who the hell are you?! What did you do to my friend?!" Zack demanded, his gray eyes wide.

... Okay, she couldn't pass this one up. "You wish to know?" she answered, making her temporary high-pitched voice deep (which was actually pretty easy for some reason), "The girl you call 'Tori' doesn't exist. You have made friends with me. I am your friend. I now can show you my true form."

"WHAT?!"

That's when Tori received a sharp smack from Nayru. Tori then lost her dramatic voice, "What was _that _for?! I was just playing around! When didja get here anyway?!"

"That is not a good way to play a prank, Tori. You are only supposed to sync for _training _purposes for the time being here. Not for your entertainment," Nayru snapped. Zack then looked back to Tori. Upon noticing this, she sighed. "Alright, I really am Tori. For serious here," Tori said with a shrug. Zack, however, wasn't convinced. "P-prove it then! What did I do with you yesterday?"

Too easy. "Trick question, dude. You weren't with me yesterday because you were busy going to the movies with your girlfriend," Tori replied without struggle.

"When's your birthday?"

"July fourteenth."

"My birthday?"

"March twentieth."

"How much do you weigh?"

"Fuck you."

Zack's mouth went wide. "It... It really _is _you... But... How-" "Because she is the counterpart of the one you see before you," Nayru interrupted. Zack spun to her. "To answer your next question, yes. You also are here because you are indeed one of the counterparts like Tori."

After a few seconds, Zack fell to the ground. "You're kidding me... I can take a lot, but this is too much to take in. C'mon, you got the wrong guy!" he said with a shrill voice, his dark brown eyes darting back and forth to everyone around him. Nayru simply shook her head and knelt down to him. "No, Zack. This is real. If you wish to accept it, do exactly what I say," Nayru instructed, "This goes for Tess as well."

Tess jumped, then slowly approached Nayru as Zack up from the ground. "Close your eyes. Forget your surroundings. Forget yourselves..."

Both of them did as instructed.

* * *

**I'm gonna be a jerk and leave it there xD I'll let you guys try to figure out who they're gonna be~**


	6. Accident

It was quite the scare for not just Zack and Tess, but for Tori and Daniel as well.

Tess was now a beautiful woman in a finely tailored dress with golden hair going down her back. She looked to the group, her new blue eyes filled with amazement. "Wha... What? This is what happens..? Who am I supposed to be?" she asked to nobody in particular with a voice dripping with innocence. Nayru simply approached her. "You are Princess Zelda. Ruler over the lands of Hyrule and keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom, which is a little gift from me," Nayru said with a smile.

Tori's friend no longer had two different colored eyes, but now his appearance was really disturbing to witness. Zack's height didn't change much, but he now looked really... "You look like you were pulled straight from a Middle Earth brothel, dude," Tori finally commented. That made Din crack up laughing. Zack gave his friend a puzzled look, taking what she said in. He then gave her a sly grin, "That's actually pretty cool to me."

"Hm. You actually sound sexy now."

"Are you saying I wasn't before? I'm OFFENDED!"

Tori just rolled her eyes under her helm and then took a glance to Tess. "Whoa... You... You're..." Tori stammered, her voice getting a bit shrill (which everyone there visibly flinched at). Tess simply returned with a blush, "Stop it, I'm not that attractive!" "Stop being modest, you're putting me to shame!" Zack retorted. Tess gave him a smile and bounded over to Daniel. Din smirked and patted him on the shoulder. "You just got rejected."

"I have a girlfriend already!"

"Sorry to break it to you, but you won't be seeing her for a while."

So began a heated argument between Din and Zack. Meanwhile, however, Tess was engaging in conversation with Daniel. "I haven't heard from you much. What's up?" she asked him. Daniel just backed away nervously, "I just... This is a load to take in."

Tess nodded then sighed. "Yeah. This really is unbelievable..." she said, examining the details on her dress. However, there was something going on from the sidelines. Tori was watching it all, a pit lonely in her stomach. She simply sighed then looked up towards the sky. What should she do? How can she get in on the conversation?

Din marched in front of the group with her arms crossed. "Now then. Since everyone appears to be situated into their current bodies, it's time to train your abilities," she announced. With a wave of her hand, a large group of ethereal creatures formed from the ground and stood there awaiting command. They were quite odd looking... Some were short goblin creatures wielding swords while others resembled lizards. "I have molded these into the monsters you shall no doubt fight when the real battle begins," Din explained. Tess simply eyed the transparent creatures nervously. Daniel spoke up, "So, what exactly are we doing?"

"Using your instincts. I prefer the... Direct approach."

Before anyone in the group could register what the goddess had just said, the ethereal creatures charged without warning. "Are you crazy?!" Tori screamed as she barely dodged a strike from a lizard-creature, "More than half of us don't have weapons!"

Din just gave her a sly grin. "All of you do, actually," she responded. Even with her helm on, everyone knew Tori was giving a fiery glare towards Din. She then looked to Zack, then to Tess. How would they defend themselves..?

Zack and Tess were busy avoiding attacks from the creatures rather than finding a way to obtain a weapon. Though Zack was more agile, Tess was barely dodging the swords. She knew that fatigue would overcome her soon enough... And it was sooner than expected. Her feet betrayed her, which resulted in a plummet to the dirt. She felt the ethereal being crowd around her, readying their bright swords. Tess quickly snapped her eyes shut to brace herself for the pain, however... All she heard was the sound of loud slicing. Slowly opening her eyes, Tess could see only one person wielding a single sword.

Daniel.

He turned to her, kneeling down to her shortly afterwards. "Tess... Are you alright?" Daniel asked tenderly, setting his sword to the side.

The only thing Tess could do was nod.

The moment was interrupted by a shriek followed by a loud 'THUD!'. Everyone jolted towards the direction of cause only to find Tori helmless and curled up into a ball. Every ethereal creature stopped their assault as Nayru quickly went over to Tori. "Tori. What happened?" she demanded as she bent down to her. Tori glanced back to Nayru, her eyes filled with agony as she simply whispered, "It hurts..."

Nayru's eyes were now gentle. "Where?" was what she asked. Tori just turned to her back, revealing a massive blade wound across her stomach. Nayru's eyes were now filled with empathy. "Extend your synchronization time. We must tend to this immediately. You must stay in that form until it heals..." Nayru instructed. "Why do I have to stay like this..?"

Nayru sighed, "The form you have is strong. If you revert back, there is an extremely high possibility that the wounds you have will kill you."

After that was said, a sharp glare was given to Din. "I will have an audience with Chranas to extend the time. Before that..."

Nayru's head snapped to Din, "My sister and I will talk in private... Faore, please transport Tori to her room."

Faore jumped at the mention of her name, then nodded. With a green light, both she and Tori were gone.

* * *

The bandages that were applied to Tori were helping the blood significantly. Sure it still hurt like hell, but bleeding to death wasn't an option. What Tori hated the most was that she had to be someone else for god knows how long. "Damn it all..."

Knock knock.

"Come in."

The door opened to reveal Zack holding a tray of soup. "Hey, Tori..." Zack greeted softly. Tori just nodded. Zack was back to normal, but in all honesty... It was better that way. Zack set the tray down on Tori's nightstand and sat by her on her bed. He opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it. He couldn't think of the right thing to say at all. That just made Tori chuckle. "Did you ever figure out the name of the guy you are?"

Zack nodded. "Yeah. Apparently the name's Ghirahim. Well now I can't mess with you anymore, huh?" he said with a laugh. Tori returned with a simple smile. The both of them then glanced to the soup. "... I swear, if you plan on spoon feeding me-"

A big spoonful of soup was shoved into Tori's mouth before she could finish. She swallowed, then resumed, "Zack! I'm not-"

Another spoonful, followed by another swallow. "Will you sto-

This continued until the entire bowl was empty. Zack put down the spoon triumphantly as he saw Tori groan. "Dammit... Why the hell... Didn't you stop... When I said I was full..."

Zack just smiled, "You need it. Besides, you'll get sleepy in no time now."

It was true. Tori's eyes felt heavy already. "Thanks... I guess," she murmured as she curled up and quickly fell asleep.


	7. Chranas

Once Zack exited Tori's room, he was greeted by Daniel and Tess. "To answer your question, she's all right. I forced her to have some soup and all she needs now is some rest," Zack explained. This was a great relief for the both of them. "That's good..." Tess whispered. Daniel nodded in agreement, then thought hard. "I think she'll be bedridden for... A week and a half. Maybe more," he concluded.

"Eleven days, fourteen hours, thirty two minutes, and nineteen seconds to be exact."

The trio jumped. Jolting to the voice, the group came face-to-face with a woman in a light blue cloak. Her blurry, crystal blue eyes surveyed them with no emotion. "A very pinpoint observation, Link," was all she said. Nayru came from behind her, then nodded to her. "You did a great job, Chranas. You may go to your plane now," Nayru instructed. The woman, Chranas, did not look to her however. She spoke without any movement, "Very well, Nayru. I do hope Zant makes a full recovery, as odd as that sounds."

Chranas then vanished, leaving the trio puzzled. "I apologize. Chranas is blind. However, she can see life that she had started the time for without her eyes," Nayru explained, "Anyway, Chranas is the Goddess of Time. She has helped extended Tori's sync time-" "Whoa wait, so how could she see us if we aren't from here?" Zack interrupted, taken aback. Sighing as if he had asked a simple math problem, Nayru responded, "Notice how she was referring to you as your other names? You may not be from here, but your other selves are."

Zack took it in, then nodded in understanding. Tess was next to ask a question, "So, what'll we be doing? Will we wait for Tori to recover before we can train again?"

Nayru shook her head. "No. Even if someone is injured, you have to train and move ahead," she replied. The group looked to each other, then back at Nayru worriedly. "Don't worry, Din will not be 'teaching' you this time around," she reassured, "Now let Tori rest. In the meantime, we must go back to training."

* * *

A castle. This is what Tori was standing before as horrifying pitch black monsters were by her side. Her mouth forced itself into a malicious smile as she held out her hand. "Prepare for victory, my loyal servants," she heard herself say to the beasts, which they shrieked back in response. With a sudden pulse of a shadowy mist into the castle doors, the beasts charged.

Tori then saw them go to work.

The soldiers standing their ground inside the castle were being slaughtered horribly by these monsters without mercy. Tori then was stepping forward inside to show herself alongside more regal yet more powerful looking creatures. All around her, soldiers were helplessly being strangled or held in the claws of the beasts. "It is time for you to choose: Surrender or die," Tori said to the three soldiers left standing, but to one in particular.

It was who Nayru called Zelda, wielding a sword. Tori simply grinned and continued, "Oh yes, a question for all the land and people of Hyrule..." She gestured to a nearby soldier struggling in the hold of one of the creatures, "Life? Or death?!"

The two guards standing by her gasped, then looked to Zelda to see her choice. After moments of silence, Zelda had made her decision.

Her sword fell.

* * *

Tori jolted upwards from her sleep, which she regretted afterwards due to her wounds. "What the hell..?" she quietly asked herself, placing her hands on her head. Yes, she was still synced. But what she didn't get was why that scene was so familiar... Obviously that had never happened before. Why did it seem so familiar though? Was Daniel going through this too? What was going on? After a while, Tori began to have a headache due to thinking about it too hard. So she hesitantly laid back down and closed her eyes once more.

Her last thoughts before drifting off were if she should tell Nayru.

* * *

**HNNGH Sorry it's so short. I had to end it off somewhere that made sense xD so yeah. I got so many ideas for this that they're overflowing!**


End file.
